The double bind of “Shame”: The colonial ramifications in Tahitian language revitalization

Abstract

This article discusses the multifaceted and shifting nature of “shame” (ha'amā) associated with Tahitian, one of the Indigenous languages of French Polynesia. Despite congregants at the Mā'ohi Protestant Church contesting the colonial degradation of Mā'ohi Indigeneity and promoting the spiritual significance of Indigenous languages, the idea of shame and awkwardness attached to speaking practices remains the largest psychological obstacle for language revitalization. This research establishes that while “language empowerment” attempts to reverse colonial stigma, the site of “shame” is shifting from its colonial associations to an age-based habit and, further, to the speakers' failure in owning it.